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  • Home
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    • Discount Isle of Wight Ferry Travel
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      • Surviving An Isle Of Wight Holiday With A Toddler
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      • The Needles and Alum Bay
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      • Osborne House
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      • 10 Best Benches With A View
      • Isle of Wight Themed Walks
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Isle of Wight Guru

How to keep different age groups happy on an Isle of Wight holiday

25/5/2021

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I received an email this week from a parent who was preparing for an Isle of Wight holiday with children aged nine, 14 and 18.

Florida was off the cards thanks to Covid, so plan B was a trip to the Isle of Wight. Needless to say, the pressure to compete with Florida was weighing on my mind.

The challenge is to find activities which are simultaneously interesting for a nine year old and an 18 year old that don't involve staring at a screen. I've had similar emails from other people before who are trying to occupy toddlers and teenagers at the same time. Do you just accept that one person in the party will be bored or find a middle ground that might please nobody?

We've written guides to days out for toddlers, junior school age children and teenagers but combining ages is more difficult. Fear not though, weary parents, it is not impossible.

Here are my suggestions of what I would with a nine, 14 and 18 year old on an Isle of Wight holiday. 

I've crammed a lot in to each day, you might want to enjoy a slightly slower pace.

​You can change the order of the days round to fit in with the weather, surf and tides.

Day One - Tapnell Farm Park, Isle of Wight Aqua park and Freshwater Bay

Tapnell Farm Park has always been one of our top recommendations for toddlers and junior school aged children, as it's got a good mix of things like soft play, pedal go karts, minigolf, animals and trampolines. Most of it wouldn't really have been of much interest to teenagers until the owners wisely built the Isle of Wight Aqua Park alongside the farm park. They are separate attractions but if you have two adults in the party then you'll be able to split in half and do a bit of both.

Once you have squeezed the juice out of those, I would head to nearby Freshwater Bay, which is a stony beach which is good for a picnic or for exploring. At low tide, head round the corner past the big hotel and there's a second beach where you can climb on the rocks and parents can shout things like "be careful!" and "if you sprain your ankle, I'll be livid!".

Families who like a walk can head up the hill to the Tennyson Monument, although there's a high risk of teenagers complaining about this bit or getting too close to the cliff edge.
Isle of Wight aqua park
"Are we going on three or after three?"
Freshwater Bay
Freshwater Bay is only a few minutes from Tapnell Farm Park

Day Two - Sandham Gardens, Dinosaur Isle, Wildheart Animal Sanctuary

There's a good selection of modest sized attractions along the seafront in Sandown, at the Yaverland end of the beach. Some will be more suited to younger children whilst other stuff should be suitable for the older ones. If you combine a few of them it will fill a day.
​
Sandham Gardens has got a good sized playground, a sports court/skate park and an impressive minigolf course with dinosaurs and a puffing volcano. There are also bouncy nets which will certainly appeal to the younger ones and might appeal to teenagers depending on their mood. 

Nearby, there is Wildheart Animal Sanctuary (previously called Isle of Wight Zoo) and Dinosaur Isle. The former will take you a couple of hours, the latter will take you about an hour. There's also a 'family golf course' called Browns. It isn't the same as minigolf, it's more of a relaxed pitch and putt in a nice seaside setting. As I write this, it is changing hands but there are plans to re-open it.

We like The Bandstand restaurant at Sandham Gardens but there are other choices.
Sandham Gardens playground
There's a playground at Sandham Gardens, as well as a sports court, skate park and bouncing nets
Minigolf volcano
The nearby minigolf course includes this puffing volcano

Day Three - Alum Bay and Compton Bay 

Alum Bay and The Needles isn't to everyone's taste but I reckon there is something for most age groups, so I would head there in the morning. It's one of the windiest locations in the UK, so find a day when it isn't too blowy.

Younger children will enjoy the mini amusements and ride or filling up a plastic teddy bear shape with sand. Older children will probably enjoy the chairlift and the boat trip out to the Needles. Old dears will enjoy the National Trust's Old Battery which has a tunnel dug out into the rocks and terrific views.

In the afternoon, stick with the West Wight and head for Compton Bay which was named as one of the world's best beaches by the Sunday Times Travel Magazine.

A good day out at Compton Bay requires the perfect alignment of sunshine, moderately sized waves and a low tide. It doesn't need to be a very low tide, but at high tide there isn't much beach. I suggest that you start looking at the forecasts on your first day and figure out which day is your best bet. Plan your week around the beach days and then fill in the rest of the days with the attractions.

Once you've found the ideal time to visit, get hold of a bodyboard or two. They're about £30 each from Amazon or you can find them in some beachside shops around the Isle of Wight. Our relatives got some from the beach shop at Yaverland last time, but there are other places.

Park in the main Compton Bay car park with the toilet block and ice cream van but turn right at the bottom of the steps and walk along the beach for a couple of hundred metres. The section nearer the steps is rocky and it's also not wise to sit right underneath the taller cliffs without a crash helmet.

If it's low tide, we like to build a sandcastle, kick a football, play rounders and fly a kite. 

If it's not too busy you can light a barbecue, but a) don't do this if it's full of people as a slight breeze will suffocate the rest of the the beach and b) take your rubbish home rather than burying your used barbecue in the sand.

You can't take dogs on this beach in the summer months and anyone who attempts to will be dragged back to the ferry.
The Needles Lighthouse
The Needles Lighthouse is surrounded by a few small attractions
Compton Bay Surfer
Compton Bay is a good place for bodyboarding or surfing - but check the forecasts first

Day Four - Monkey Haven, Cineworld and Go Karting (ideal for a grey day)

You might not want to do all of these things in one day, as it could end up pretty expensive but they're all good options for a grey day.

Monkey Haven is an award winning attraction which is relatively small but which will fill an hour or two. 

The cinema is a good size with 11 screens and is ideal for a grey day. The same complex has a KFC, a Burger King and a Pizza Hut which might keep everyone happy. Serendipitously, there's also a gym between Pizza Hut and Burger King.

Towards Ryde is a go kart track, which has race options for children and teenagers. 
Go karts at Wight Karting
Go karting is a good option for a grey day

Day Five - Watersports at St Helen's or Dunroamin

For another beach day, I would try some different watersports. Again, planning around the weather is the key so look at the forecast and organise your week around them. Kayaking in a gale is not enjoyable and paddleboarding on chopping waters is like a ride on a bucking bronco. Ideally, you want very calm water and sunshine.

There are a few watersports hire places on the Isle of Wight, but the main ones are Tackt Isle in St Helens and Wight Water in Lake/Dunroamin. 

Personally, I would go for St Helens unless you are staying near to Lake as the water is very shallow at St. Helens. More adventurous kayakers might want to venture round to the beautiful beach of Priory Bay but if you're a first timer than keep it simple and stay in your depth. For younger children, parents may just want to stand in the water and hold onto the boat whilst the children squeal with excitement every time a tiny wave passes them.

Alternatively, if you don't want to try watersports then you could visit the beach at Appley. The seafront has a couple of playgrounds for the younger members of the party and a good amount of space for ball games for the older ones.

For teenagers, invest £20-£30 in a stunt kite with two handles rather than a 99p piece of rubbish with Spiderman on it. The feeling of nearly being lifted off your feet by a good kite might even make a teenager smile. 
Kayaking at st helens
A closeup of my hairy knee during a kayaking outing at St Helen's

Day Six - Amusements and Minigolf in Shanklin, Treasure Trail in Ventnor

This is a bit of a risky day which involves an activity which could go either way.

In the morning, head to Shanklin seafront and try to find somewhere to park. You may need to adopt an aggressive driving stance.

The amusement arcade is better than average and will fill an hour with most ages of children. I highly recommend agreeing a budget before embarking on an expensive journey collecting yellow tickets.

The seafront also has several minigolf courses which are nicely done and which will fill a bit of time. There are plenty of places to eat on the seafront.

In the afternoon, I would travel to nearby Ventnor and do the Treasure Trail which goes from Ventnor to Steephill Cove. Technically speaking, this is a walk (hence the warning about it being risky) but the combination of the sea views, the treasure hunt theme and the availability of ice creams at both ends of the walk should get you through it. 

We did this Treasure Trail in the howling wind and rain and still enjoyed it (to an extent). It was so cold that we started rummaging in the car for anything that we could improvise as an extra layer. My sister-in-law did the entire walk wearing a picnic blanket as a shawl and I wore a buoyancy aid under my coat so that I looked like a bodybuilder.
Shanklin summer arcade sign for change
You'll need plenty of this at the amusement arcade
Ventnor Coastal Path
The coastal walk from Ventnor to Steephill Cove is best done with a distracting treasure hunt

Some other options

There are a few big name attractions missing from our itinerary and you may well find that they do the job nicely for your family. 

Some of the bigger Isle of Wight attractions that I haven't mentioned include:
  • Robin Hill is a good sized country park which combines some mid-sized rides with lots of green space, woodland and shows in the amphitheater during the summer months. There are certainly things that will appeal to younger teenagers such as the toboggan run and there is enough space to kick a ball about and so on. However, a lot of it is best for children aged 4-12.
  • Blackgang Chine is a charming theme park which has been visited by every school child and Isle of Wight visitor in the last century. It's great fun, but I reckon it is best for 3-11 year olds. Teenagers will find the rides a bit small if they are used to rollercoasters which do thirteen loop-the-loops.
  • Osborne House has a gorgeous beach, impressive grounds and gardens and an interesting history. However, the teenage version of me would not have been interested in visiting a stately home during the summer holidays.
  • Carisbrooke Castle is a very well preserved castle with outstanding views from the top and summertime shows. Some teenagers would enjoy it, but it felt a bit too educational to me when I was 15.
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Dear Mock The Week - here's why the Isle of Wight beats London for a holiday

18/5/2021

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A few months ago, the Isle of Wight got a big heap of attention thanks to it being declared as a ‘tier one’ location for Covid restrictions. The Sun featured the Isle of Wight on the front page and headline writers tried to think of puns involving the word ‘Wight’.

The issue was then discussed on Mock The Week which led to this amusing interjection from comedian Rhys James
“What’s the point of being in tier one on the Isle of Wight? I mean, it’s still the Isle of Wight. What are you going to do with your freedom? Pop to the local well and wish you were in London?"
I’m aware that December 2020 now feels like forever ago, but I felt it was my duty to offer a belated reply (plus, I only got round to watching it last night whilst lying on the floor and waiting for child two to go to sleep).

So, for Rhys James, here are my suggestions of five reasons why the Isle of Wight is a nicer place for a holiday than London:

1. The Isle of Wight is sunnier than London

Despite only being a couple of hours away, the Isle of Wight gets a whopping 500 hours a year more sunshine than London. And that’s not a stat from the tourist board calculated by moving a decimal place and looking at data for 1956. That’s actual data covering 30 years of sunshine hours from the Met Office. Shanklin averaged 1923 hours of sunshine per year whilst London only managed 1410 hours.

That’s an average of nearly 90 minutes of extra sunshine every day, meaning you could sit out on your balcony and watch the entirety of The Little Mermaid in the sunshine in Shanklin rather than watching it in the grey of Greenwich.

Plus, when you’re in London the sunsets are frequently obscured by vast glass buildings which once housed office workers and now gather dust because everyone is working from home.

And of course, most people in London spend at least an hour of their day underground.

2. The Isle of Wight has better beaches than London

By my count, there are about 25 beaches on the Isle of Wight which are worth a visit. If you’re staying in the middle of the Island, that gives you about 25 beaches within 25 minutes. (Note to self: suggest this as a future marketing slogan for Visit Isle of Wight).

You can bodyboard in Shanklin, surf at Compton Bay, paddleboard at Colwell, swim at Sandown, go crabbing in Bembridge, fly a kite in Ryde, kitesurf at Brook, let it all hang out at Blackgang (the beach, not the theme park please), kayak at St Helens, explore caves in Freshwater, watch yachts in Cowes, ride a chairlift at Alum Bay, strum an acoustic guitar and cry about an ex-girlfriend at Binnel Bay, lick an ice cream in Ventnor or walk the dog at Player’s Beach.

Meanwhile, London has got the Thames Estuary which has all the seaside appeal of a puddle. It’s fine if you’re Peppa Pig, it’s less of a pleasant day out for the rest of us.
Thames estuary
Paradise for Peppa Pig at the Thames Estuary...
Compton bay Isle of Wight
...versus Compton Bay, named one of the world's top 50 beaches by the Sunday Times Travel Magazine in 2015

3. People dance to mariachi bands on the Isle of WIght

As we all know, sweeping generalisations are always wrong.

However, we have all observed the misery of the London commuter. Face down, phone in hand, avoiding eye contact as if every other passenger is a mugger.

On one occasion when I was on the tube, a five piece mariachi band walked along the carriage playing El Jarabe Tapatio in the hope of raising a few pennies to pay for their vastly expensive rent.

The miserable commuters didn’t even look up. For a mariachi band!

I admit it’s a slightly different vibe on the tube at weekends, but still...


Contrast that with a mariachi band I saw perform at Appley Beach a couple of years ago (Vote Pedro) which featured a man in his 70s/80s shaking a musical pineapple whilst the rest of the band rattled out mariachi versions of Seven Nation Army and Another Brick In The Wall. A conga line started, the sun shone, we all applauded, I even danced a little.

4. There's more space on the Isle of Wight

Last summer, we decided it would be wiser and more relaxing to visit places on the Isle of Wight without many people. Covid rates were low but I find it more relaxing when Mrs Guru isn’t saying “they’re getting a bit close” every thirty seconds.

Keeping our distance proved remarkably easy.

On more than one occasion we found ourselves all alone on a glorious beach in the sunshine in the middle of the day in August. That was despite the Isle of Wight being much busier than usual. The reason is that the Island has such a choice of beaches and green space that it isn’t a case that everyone piles to the same green space when the sun comes out.

London’s parks are lovely, but they certainly aren’t places to avoid people on a sunny day.
London park sunny day
Enjoy a small square of grass to yourself at a London park on a sunny day...
Picture
...or have Binnel Bay to yourself. The lone figure is my mother... (this photo was taken on a sunny Saturday lunchtime in August)

5. Islanders aren’t as backwards as you might think

Alright, so a few Isle of Wight residents may still take a trip to the village wishing well on a daily basis but I would argue that this has become much less popular in recent years.

And reports of witch trials and pitchfork mobs are at an all time low according to the Office of National Statistics (2011 Census Data).

In fact, the Isle of Wight has a pretty good choice of cultural things to do. OK, so the Quay Arts Centre isn’t quite on the same scale as the Tate Modern and Brighstone Museum isn’t on the same scale as the British Museum. But then again, Brighstone Museum doesn’t receive millions of pounds from an oil company (as far as I’m aware – Brighstone residents feel free to correct me).

There are plenty of award-winning places to eat on the Isle of Wight for the discerning diner, including several which feature in the Michelin Guide. That’s not the same as a Michelin star, but it’s still impressive.

I can’t guarantee that everything on the Isle of Wight is cheaper than London, but as a general rule you will feel less like you’ve had your current account raided after ordering a drink on the Isle of Wight.

There are festivals too – such as Ventnor Fringe or the Isle of Wight Festival. I'm not going to argue that the Isle of Wight has a richer history than London, but there's plenty to keep you entertained – Osborne gives any of London’s stately homes a run for its money (and it’s got a beach) and Carisbrooke Castle has spectacular views from the top of the keep. Then there's the seaside views from Yarmouth Castle, the gardens of Mottistone Manor, the dinosaur bones of the West Wight, two lighthouses, four piers, a 17th century windmill and several seaside forts.

Anyway, I'd better go and make a start on my guide to 'five of the best wells of the Isle of Wight'.

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    Isle of Wight Guru's Blog

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